Corner Interlocking Rubber Pavers

ABSTRACT

Rubber pavers of recycled vehicle tires are gaining popularity with consumers because they are “green” (friendly to our planet Earth) and they have other special features such as noise and impact absorbing, slip and frost resistance, and ease of maintenance. However, there is a major problem with rubber pavers, i.e., the corners of a rubber paver curl up for non-glued-down installation. The corner curling becomes worse and worse as paver&#39;s thickness decreases. This invention invented Corner-Interlocking designs to prevent corner curling. This Corner-Interlocking invention prevents corners from curling and interlocks rubber pavers (especially for thin rubber pavers) in place for non-glue-down installation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rubber pavers made of recycled vehicle tires begin to gain more and more market shares because it is an environmental friendly “Green” product. Rubber pavers also have special features over the traditional brick, stone, and concrete pavers. The special features inherited to rubber pavers are noise and impact absorbing, slip and frost resistance, and ease of maintenance, and light weight. However up to now, there are two major problems today with rubber pavers for non-glue-down installation: (1) the corners of the pavers curling up and (2) pavers internal lateral movements leading to big gaps and overlapping. This invention of Corner-Interlocking solves these two problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention designed Corner-Interlocking mechanisms for rubber paver installation to prevent corner curling and internal paver lateral movements. Corner-Interlocking connects adjacent rubber pavers by their corners. Four corners of adjacent pavers are Corner-Interlocked for pavers at the interior of the installation area and two corners are Corner-Interlocked for pavers on the border. Corner-Interlocking links the adjoining corners together and thus preventing each individual corner from curling up. Corner-Interlocking also locks pavers in place and thus preventing individual paver from moving internally. Corner-Interlocking is especially useful and necessary for non-glue-down rubber paver installation on surfaces such as roof tops, terrace, compacted bare ground, patios, walkways, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is an illustration of Top Face and Bottom Face of a paver.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of Corner-Interlocking channel and anchor on a bottom face.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a Corner-Interlocking Pad.

FIG. 4 is a drawing of a rubber paver with a Corner-Interlocking Pad fitted into one of its corner's channel and anchor.

FIG. 5 is a drawing of a border point with two adjoining corners. A Corner-Interlocking Pad is pressed in to both corners. The Corner-Interlocking Pad holds two corners together.

FIG. 6 is a drawing of four corners connected by a Corner-Interlocking Pad in three dimensions.

FIG. 7 is a view of installed pavers from Bottom Face. Corner-Interlocking Pads are in green color.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 1. The Physical Structure

The invented Corner-Interlocking Rubber Paver consists of units as follows:

(a) Rubber Paver Structure (FIG. 1)

A rubber paver has a top face and a bottom face. Top Face is an exposed face of the paver. When installed, Top Face is exposed on top and forms exposed surface. An architectural pattern is usually pressed onto this face in the process of manufacturing, such as brickface, etna, aslar as examples. Bottom face is the bottom face of a paver, which is in contact with base surface that pavers to be installed on.

(b) Corner-Interlocking Channel (FIG. 2 through FIG. 6)

On the bottom face, a channel dissects a paver's corner equally. The width and length of the channel can vary according to paver's sizes. For example, let's say the channel is 32 mm long, 26 mm wide, and 7 mm deep.

(c) Corner-Interlocking Positioning Anchor (FIG. 2 through FIG. 6)

At the end of a channel, the channel is extended to a certain length with an increased width, forming a rectangular void. We call this rectangular void Interlocking Positioning Anchor. The depth of Interlocking Positioning Anchor is kept same as that of channel.

(d) Corner-Interlocking Cross Pad (FIG. 3 through FIG. 6)

Corner-Interlocking Cross Pad links up to four adjoining pavers together by its arms. The shape of an arm of the Cross Pad is the same (within manufacturing tolerances) as that of the void formed by Corner-Interlocking channel and positioning anchor. Therefore, an arm of a Corner-Interlocking Pad fits tightly into the channel and anchor. Corner-Interlocking Pad is completely recessed into the back channels and anchors when installed.

2. Operation of Corner-Interlocking Rubber Pavers

Corner-Interlocking rubber pavers are to be used on patios, walkways, sidewalks, roof tops, garage floors, balconies, stairs, playgrounds, around pools, etc. Here is how Corner-Interlocking operates in rubber paver installation (Installation steps that are not related to Corner-Interlocking are omitted):

(a) For the very corner piece of the whole installation area, cut one arm of Corner-Interlocking Pad out (cutting along both diagonal lines of the square at the Pad's center, see FIG. 3). Apply two beads of polyurethane adhesive (exterior grade) length-wise. Press the arm into the corner channel and positioning anchor. This corner serves as an overall corner of the installation area.

(b) For the next paver piece along the border line of the installation area or the adjoining point with two adjacent corners, cut two arms of Corner-Interlocking Pad out (cutting along one diagonal line of the square at the Pad's center, see FIG. 3). Apply beads of polyurethane adhesives on both arms. Press these two arms into the channels and anchors of the adjacent pavers.

(c) For the adjoining points with four adjacent corners, apply beads of polyurethane adhesives on all four arms. Press these four arms into the channels and anchors of the adjacent corners.

(d) The shape of the channel and anchor is about the same to that of Corner-Interlocking Pad. Because Corner-Interlocking Pad has four arms at right angle and fixed distances, pavers have to be at the right positions in order for Corner-Interlocking Pad to fit into the channels and anchors. In another word, Corner-Interlocking Pad ensures each paver to be installed at the correct position.

CROSS-REFERENCES FOR THE INVENTION OF CORNER-INTERLOCKING RUBBER PAVERS

7,344,334 Steven Thorkelson Paver System Mar. 18, 2008

Thorkelson's invention designed a coupling system of pavers and the (rigid) substrate to prevent pavers moving laterally, and all pavers are installed on top of the substrate.

7,160,052 Weiss, Jr., et al. Paving System Using Jan. 9, 2007 Arrays of Vertically Interlocking Paving Blocks

Pavers are interlocked through geometric designs.

7,001,101 DeRose; Gary Phollip Interlocking Paver/ Feb. 21, 2006 Tile

Pavers are interlocked with plastic splines with gripping teeth that are inserted into slots on the sides of pavers.

6,551,016 Guidon; John Kevin Paver Guid-on System Apr. 22, 2003

Grid provides guide for paver installation.

5,244,303 Hair; Roberta A. Interlocking Paving Sep. 14, 1993 Stone

Pavers are interlocked through geometric designs.

4,749,302 DeClute; Robert G. Spacing Pad Jun. 7, 1988

Pavers are hold in place through alignment and spacer ribs. 

1. This author invented a Corner-Interlocking design to interconnect rubber pavers together by Corner-Interlocking Pad and, channels and anchors at the back of pavers.
 2. According to claim 1, a channel is designed at each corner of a bottom face of a paver. An anchor is designed next to the channel at each corner of a bottom face of a paver.
 3. According to claims 1 and 2, a Corner-Interlocking Pad has four arms. Each of the arms of a Corner-Interlocking Pad has the same or about the same shape as the void formed by a channel and its anchor. Therefore, the arm can fit into the void of the channel and anchor.
 4. According to claims 1-3, when an arm pressed into a channel and anchor void, the arm is recessed into the bottom face of the paver.
 5. According to claims 1-4, the width of the anchor is wider than the channel, such that there is only one correct position for an arm of a Corner-Interlocking Pad to fit into the channel and anchor.
 6. According to claim 5, an anchor can take various shapes to function as a positioning anchor as long as its width is wider than that of the channel.
 7. According to claims 1-6, the channel can take various shapes.
 8. According to claims 1-7, Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut along the center-square diagonal lines and to be used as the filler to the void of a channel and anchor of a corner, when this corner is a corner of the whole installation area.
 9. According to claims 1-6, Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut along one of the center-square diagonal lines and to be used to connect adjacent pavers by the channels and anchors, when these two corners are on the border of the whole installation area.
 10. According to claims 1-6, one arm of Corner-Interlocking Pad can be cut out. The three arm Corner-Interlocking Pad can used to connect three corners by the channels and anchors, when the three-corner-point is on the border of the whole installation area.
 11. According to claims 1-6, Corner-Interlocking Pad can be used to connect four adjacent pavers by the channels and anchors, when these corners are inside of the whole installation area. 